Tag: baby
First Holiday with Baby in Orford
We ventured to Orford on our first holiday with our baby when she was just 8 weeks old.
Suddenly it was no longer about throwing a few clothes into a bag, it was now about making sure we had absolutely everything we needed for our precious little one!
The car was laden full with baby gear including her baby monitor, moses basket, baby bath, activity play mat, numerous outfits of clothing to cover all eventualities of weather, Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier, breast pump, pram, Moby Wrap (we were still in the fourth trimester) and my parents!
We weren’t even going very far, staying within the confines of the UK so we could drive a reasonably short distance. Up until this point our baby had only travelled in a taxi home from the hospital.
Travelling from London to Orford near the Suffolk coast was going to take at least 2 hours. We were certain we’d need to take several breaks to ease the journey (and calm ourselves should our baby take an extreme dislike to her car seat or the car or her Daddy’s driving)!
Pump Street Bakery
Thankfully I’d remembered to include her soothing classical baby music which helped her to sleep almost the entire journey (we were shocked) and kept us relaxed during the busy drive out of London.
Orford is a stunning small town, dominated by the 12th century Orford Castle and Orford Church.
It has some of the best restaurants in the area including Ruth Watson’s Crown and Castle and the Butley Orford Oysterage.
Orford Castle
Suffolk is an amazing and fairly untouched part of England.
It has a stunning coastline and some of the most beautiful inland forests suitable for walking, horse riding and cycling with plenty of walkways and bridal paths.
You can find out more about this amazing location for family holidays at Discover Suffolk.
For somewhere to stay visit Suffolk Secrets which has some of the most beautiful cottages, houses and beach huts for holidays in Suffolk. These are available for rental by the week or for a short break.
The Moby Wrap
Have you heard of the fourth trimester? I hadn’t but I soon found out about it when my baby was born!
The fourth trimester refers to the time from birth to approximately 4 months old. This is the time when your newborn is very vulnerable and needs constant physical contact and attention from other human beings. The fourth trimester is about recreating the womb environment whilst your baby is adjusting from womb to world.
Here are some tips for doing this:
- Swaddling – helps to keep baby close to you and feeling secure,
the Moby Wrapcreates an environment where your baby is wrapped tightly and kept warm.
- Shushing Sounds – recreate the continual whooshing-like noise your baby heard constantly when in the womb.
- Swinging – when in utero your baby was always in a rocking motion when you moved or walked, wrapped in a Moby Wrap
- Sucking – creates a deep calming influence on your baby, whether it’s sucking on the breast, bottle, a Pacifier
When held close they will be very content, thus the need for a Moby Wrap
My baby would get upset and didn’t sleep well unless she was snuggled next to me or my husband in the Moby Wrap. It’s really comfortable to wear and I found I could go about the house easily whilst she slept happily, as well as using it during spring and summer to go out and about.
Another benefit of the Moby Wrap
The Moby Wrap is made from 100% soft cotton and is breathable and machine washable.
The Best Baby Activity Gym Play Mat
Enjoying the Lamaze Pyramid Activity Mat
Activity mats help to encourage tummy time and many have added features that allow baby to discover different textures, lights and sounds within the area of the play mat.
The Lamaze Pyramid Activity Mat
The Lamaze Pyramid Activity Mat
It has a cushioned play mat which baby can lie on or sit on with a bright and engaging environment of characters with soft side walls which helped to keep our baby safe when she started rolling!
It folds into a play house for older babies to play with when they are able to sit up unaided.
The Lamaze Pyramid Activity Mat is reversible, with colourful pictures and characters on each side and includes an overarching rainbow which holds the soft sides of the mat up so your baby can lie underneath and gaze up at the rainbow and toys.
The toy figures can be attached to the rainbow or the play mat or they can be kept separate for your baby to play with individually. The activity gym play mat comes with 5 soft toys – boy, girl, baby, cat and flower.
Playing with the Lamaze Pyramid Activity Mat Toy Doll
has a musical sun that can be attached to the rainbow or played with separately. The musical sun plays tunes and can be set to be activated by movement so as your baby enjoys kicking their feet in the air and on the floor, the music will play and the lights will flash to encourage your baby’s movements. And there’s a volume control on the musical sun so you can set it to your desired sound level.
It’s really important to introduce tummy time into your baby’s day for a few minutes a day. This helps to strengthen their muscles as they try to push themselves up off the floor and it encourages coordination. You can read more about the benefits of tummy time.
The Lamaze Pyramid Activity Mat
This activity and play mat will be used daily by your baby. It can be simply wiped clean or machine washed when needed and it drys quickly so your baby won’t have to wait for their next round of play on the activity mat!
